Cooled combustor-nozzle assembly

ABSTRACT

A combination combustor-nozzle is formed of stacked wafers, or plates. Each wafer has two cut-out sections separated by a web. One cut-out section forms a portion of the combustion chamber and mixing chamber while the other cut-out section forms a portion of the diffuser. The webs form nozzles between the wafers. Openings in the wafers adjacent the portion of the cut-out section forming the combustion chamber have grooves extending to the inner edge of the plate forming an injector. A manifold directs a fuel and oxidant to these openings. Other openings in the wafers have a groove connected thereto which extends along the webs to the edge of the wafer adjacent the downstream end of the cut-out forming the combustion chamber. A coolant or diluent supply directs its fluid to these grooves.

United States Patent [191 Witt [11] v 3,819,321 June 25, 1974 COOLEDCOMBUSTOR-NOZZLE ASSEMBLY [75] Inventor: Donald L. Witt, North PalmBeach,

Fla.

[73] Assignee: United Aircraft Corporation, East Hartford, Conn.

[22] Filed: Jan. 3, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 215,968

[52] US. Cl. 431/350, 60/39.74 A, 239/555 [51] Int. Cl. F23d 13/24 [58]Field of Search 431/158, 328, 350; 239/555, 265.11; 60/39.74 A

[56] References Cited 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,685,916 8/1954 Martt239/555 3,413,704 12/1968 Addomset al..' 60/39.74 A

3,602,432 8/1971 Mulready 239/555 3,605,408 9/1971 McGough 60/3974 A3,615,054 10/1971 Botz .f. 239/555 3,710,574 1/1973 Pearson 60/39.74 A

Primary Examiner-Carroll B. Dority, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Jack N.McCarthy 5 7] ABSTRACT A combination combustor-nozzle is formed ofstacked wafers, or plates. Each wafer has two cut-out sections separatedby a web. One cut-out section forms a portion of the combustion chamberand mixing chamber while the other cut-out section forms a portion ofthe diffuser. The webs form nozzles between the wafers.

Openings in the wafers adjacent the portion of the cutout sectionforming the combustion chamber have grooves extending to the inner edgeof the plate forming an injector. A manifold directs a fuel and oxidantto these openings. Other openings in the wafers have a groove connectedthereto which extends along the webs to the edge of the wafer adjacentthe downstream end of the cut-out forming the combustion chamber. Acoolant or diluent supply directs its fluid to these grooves.

7 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures 1 COOLED COMBUSTOR-NOZZLE ASSEMBLY IBACKGROUND OFTl-IE I VENTION This invention relates to combustionapparatus 'and nozzle means for use in lasers. One nozzle constructionmade up of wafers is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,432.

' SUMM RY OF THE INVENTION A primary object'of the presentinvention isto provide a cooled combustor-nozzle assembly for advanced laser systemsfor operation at temperature levels beyond those .now. experienced.

In accordance with the present invention, a cooling passage is providedbetween adjacent wafers.- These passages extend to a point adjacent thecombustion chamber for injection of fluid thereinto; r

In accordancewith the present invention, a single assembly isformed-containing an injector,'combustion chamber, and nozzle means. I I

Further, wafers are bonded into an integral structure eliminating sealsand any, flow disturbance due to leak- Further, anotherfluidcanbeinjected at the exit I plane of the nozzles to provide for moreeffi'cient laser formed in each wafer adjacent the end of the cut-outsection 10.

Grooves 32, 34 and 36 connect the openings 24, 26 and 28, respectively,to the edge of the wafer located away from the connecting web 12. Holes20 and 22 are connected by grooves on the face of the wafer to the edgeof the wafer where it forms the combustion chamber 14. A groove 38extends from the opening 20 along one edge of the web 12 toapproximately the center thereof, where it then goes across the web andback along the otheredge and along the edge of the mixing chamber 16where it then goes back to a point adjacent the hole 24. At'thispoint,it turns and goes in the opposite direction along the edge of thecombustion chamber 14 where it Stops. The end of the passage has twoshort grooves 42 and 44 which connect the groove 38 to the edge of thecombustion chamber 14.

A groove 48 extends from the opening 22 along one edge of the web 12to'approximately the center thereof, where it then goes across the weband back along the other edge'and'along the edge of the mixing chamber16 where it then goes back to a point adjacent the hole At this point itturns and goes in the opposite direction along the edge of thecombustion chamber 14 where it stops. The end of the passage has twoshort grooves 52 and-54 which connect the groove to the edge ofthecombustion chamber 14.

The wafer member 4 is formed flat on one side A and contoured on theother side B. The flat side A of all of the wafers contains theassociated grooves 38,- 42 and 44 and associated grooves 48, 52 and 54.The surface B of each web 12 is formed having a rounded surface FIG. 5is a'view showing wafers together forr'ning a I nozzle and a completenozzle'segment'.

FIG.-6 is a view showing several nozzle wafers lined up fon'ning"different nozzle segments.

FIG. 7' isa modification of the means formingthe nozzle segments.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to FIG. 1, acombined combustornoule assembly 2 is shown which is comprised of aplurality of wafer members 4 fixedly mounted between end plates 6 and 7.Each wafer member4-is formed having two cut-out sections 8 andlfl'separated by a connecting web l2. Cut-out section 8 iscontoured toprovide the cross-section of a combustion chamber 14' and a mixingchamber'l fii Cut-out section 10 provides for a laser cavity 18 andcanbe contoured to provide the cross-section of a diffuser 18' having an,exit opening 19. A flange section 17 extends outwardly from. the exitopening 19 forming along flange when the'wafer members are assembled.Holes 15 can be located in the assembled long flange for attaching anextension -to the laser cavity if necessary. A laser cavity is shown inUS. Pat. application, Ser. No. 772,072, filed Oct. 29, 1968 for a ClosedCycle Device.

A hole .20 is formed at one end of said connecting web 12 and a hole22isformed at'the other end of said 56, a flat portion 58, a curvedportion 62 which curves outwardly'to an edge C and then a curved portion64 which curves inwardly to the flat side A at point D. Spacers-66 areprovided, each spacer having a height which is greater than the heightofpoint C, which properly spaces adjacent faces B to form atwo-dimensional nozzle 50 (see FIG. 5). In building up a combustornozzleassembly ,the wafers are stacked having like sides together. Each endplate would be a flat surface so that the first wafer member 4, waferNo. 1, would have its flat side A placed thereagainst. This would leaveside B exposed; the next wafer member 4, wafer No; 2, would have itsside B placed against the side B of wafer No. 1. This would leave side Aexposed; then the third wafer member 4, wafer No. 3, would have its sideA placed against the side A of wafer No. 2. This continues for thelength of the combustor-nozzle assembly which can be of any desirablelength stopping at a flat surface. The grooves 32, 34 and 36 are locatedon opposite sides of the wafer members 4 so that when the wafer membersare stacked in the manner disclosed above, the grooves form thepassageways as shown in FlG.-3, that is the grooves 32, 34 and 36 ofeach wafer mate withthe flat side of an adjacent wafer. Grooves 38 and48 are located on the'same sides of wafer members 4 so that when thewafer members are stacked in the manner disclosed above, the groovescombine to form a larger cooling passage between the mating wafermembers 4. x

End plate 6 is formed having openings which correspond to the openings20, 22, 24, 26 and 28 of the wafer members 4. A manifold 74 has twoinlet conduits 76 and 78 connected to the openings 20' and 22 of the endplate 6. A manifold 84 has two inlet conduits 86 and 88 connected to theopenings 24 and 28 of the end plate 6 and a conduit 94 is connected toopening 26 thereof. An ignition means 96 is provided to ignite acombustible mixture in the combustion chamber 14. End plate 7 may be amirror image of end plate 6 or a flat plate.

The assembly of wafer members 4 and end plates 6 and 7 are bondedtogether to form an integral structure and ensure against leakagebetween the openings and grooves. When the combustor-nozzle assembly isready for operation, a diluent supply and control are connected tomanifold 74, a fuel supply and control are connected to manifold 84, andan oxidizer supply and control are connected to conduit 94. The fuel andoxidizer enter the combustion chamber 14 through the triplet injectorformed by the grooves 32, 34 and 36. A coolant is delivered to openings22 and 20 and passes through the grooves 38 and 48, respectively, to thegrooves 42, 44 and 52, 54. Nitrogen, which is a fluid with a high flowrate for laser operations, is a logical fluid for use as a coolant for aC gas dynamic laser. The nitrogen is used to cool the connecting web, orbar 12, and the combustion and mixing chamber walls before it isinjected through openings 42, 44 and 52, 54. CO can be used for the fueland 0 can be used for the oxidizer.

FIG. 6 discloses a modification of the wafer member 4 wherein, inaddition to the large cooling passages formed by mating grooves 38 and48, further grooves 35 are provided adjacent to the downstream edge ofconnecting web 12. These grooves 35 form a full passageway across theweb 12 when the combustor-nozzle assembly is bonded together. Aplurality of grooves 37 extend from the grooves 35 to the downstreamedge of the web 12 and these grooves form passages which extend from thepassage formed by grooves 35 to the downstream edges of mating wafermembers 4. A separate manifold system can supply reactants or diluentsat the nozzle exit plane. CO or H O injected at the nozzle exit planecould increase the laser output capability of the pure CO gas dynamiclaser system.

In FIG. 7 a configuration is shown wherein the webs are shown ofdifferent construction. Alternate wafer members 4 have different webs12A and 12B. The webs 12A have passages 100 extending therethrough whichform the nozzle sections and webs 123 have a longitudinal groove 102which mates with opening 22A. Small nozzles 104 extend along the lengthof the web 128 and connect the groove 102 to the downstream edge of theweb 128. In this configuration, for a chemical laser, gases from theinitial combustion process in combustion chamber 14 and mixing chamber16 enter the laser cavity 18 through the nozzles 50A and the reactantand diluent can be supplied through aligned openings 22A in wafermembers 4A to the grooves 102 of each web 128. The reactant and diluentare injected into the laser cavity 18 through the nozzles 104. The arearatio of the two nozzles 50A and 104 may be different and can beselected to optimize flow and mixing conditions. Wake and shock effectsfrom the nozzle exit plane may be reduced by tilting the assembly ofwafer members 4 relative to the laser cavity 18 so as to direct eachlaser beam particle through an identical set of wake and shockdisturbances rather than a varying but symmetrical pattern ofdisturbances.

I claim:

1. In combination, a combustor-nozzle device comprising a plurality ofwafers; each wafer having first and second cut-out portions with a webmeans therebetween; said first cut-out portion forming a section of aninjector, combustion chamber and mixing chamber; said web means forminga portion of a nozzle; said second cut-out portion forming a section ofa laser cavity; each web means having one flat side and one contouredside; alternate sets of web means having different size nozzles formedtherein; each wafer has a hole aligned with a hole in each adjacentwafer; said aligned holes forming a passage through said wafers; thenoules of one set of web means being connected to said combustionchamber and mixing chamber; the other nozzle of the other set of saidweb means being connected to the passage formed by the aligned holes.

2. A combination as set forth in claim 1 including means for supplyingCO to the passage formed by the aligned holes.

3. In combination in a laser system, a combustornozzle device comprisinga plurality of stacked wafers; each wafer having a first enclosedcut-out portion and a second adjacent cut-out portion having an openend, web means being formed between said cut-out portions; the pluralityof first cut-out portions forming the face of an injector, combustionchamber and mixing chamber; the plurality of web means forming aplurality of rows of nozzles therebetween; the plurality of secondcut-out portions forming a laser cavity; a nozzle row is formed by acontoured side of one web means and a cooperating side of an adjacentweb means.

4. A combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein each wafer has a holelocated therein aligned with a hole in each adjacent wafer; said alignedholes forming a passage through said wafers; groove means connect saidpassage to a cut-out portion; means for supplying a diluent to thepassage formed by the aligned holes; said diluent being passed to saidlaser cavity.

5. A combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein said groove meansextends along said web means to act as a nozzle coolant as well asdiluent for the laser cavity.

6. A combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein said diluent isnitrogen.

7. A combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein said diluent is CO

1. In combination, a combustor-nozzle device comprising a plurality of wafers; each wafer having first and second cut-out portions with a web means therebetween; said first cut-out portion forming a section of an injector, combustion chamber and mixing chamber; said web means forming a portion of a nozzle; said second cut-out portion forming a section of a laser cavity; each web means having one flat side and one contoured side; alternate sets of web means having different size nozzles formed therein; each wafer has a hole aligned with a hole in each adjacent wafer; said aligned holes forming a passage through said wafers; the nozzles of one set of web means being connected to said combustion chamber and mixing chamber; the other nozzle of the other set of said web means being connected to the passage formed by the aligned holes.
 2. A combination as set forth in claim 1 including means for supplying CO2 to the passage formed by the aligned holes.
 3. In combination in a laser system, a combustor-nozzle device comprising a plurality of stacked wafers; each wafer having a first enclosed cut-out portion and a second adjacent cut-out portion having an open end, web means being formed between said cut-out portions; the plurality of first cut-out portions forming the face of an injector, combustion chamber and mixing chamber; the plurality of web means forming a plurality of rows of nozzles therebetween; the plurality of second cut-out portions forming a laser cavity; a nozzle row is formed by a contoured side of one web means and a cooperating side of an adjacent web means.
 4. A combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein each wafer has a hole located therein aligned with a hole in each adjacent wafer; said aligned holes forming a passage through said wafers; groove means connect said passage to a cut-out portion; means for supplying a diluent to the passage formed by the aligned holes; said diluent being passed to said laser cavity.
 5. A combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein said groove means extends along said web means to act as a nozzle coolant as well as diluent for the laser cavity.
 6. A combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein said diluent is nitrogen.
 7. A combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein said diluent is CO2. 